Navigation standards slammed - Tanker Operator

p43-51.qxd 09/05/2006 12:19 Page 1
TECHNOLOGY NEWS - FRANCE
National Maritime Cluster proposed
On 1st March this year, the idea of a
French Maritime Cluster was initiated by
Francois Vallat, himself a former senior
manager of Van Ommeren (France).
He has succeeded in bringing together
the head of BV, Chantiers de l'Atlantique,
insurance companies, banks and other
interests from the commercial private sector
only. However, the French Navy has
also been included in talks.
Vallat has already held nearly 40 meetings
with top management across the
board and will put together a plan of
action in July, by which time around 120
members plus other affiliates should be on
board. Eight observers from the EU have
been invited and the French hope to join
the European Network of European
Clusters.
Vallat said that if it was not working by
the end of next year then he would pull
the plug on the idea. Thus far, he has
banked Eur400,000 to start up the cluster.
The areas to be covered are oceanographic
research, marine insurance, classification,
industrial vessels, broking, shipbuilding
and high technology, oil and gas and offshore,
finance houses, freight interests and
national shipping lines.
In another move, GICAN, the Naval
defence association has merged with
COFRENA, the French national ships'
equipment manufacturers' association,
which gave the new organisation some
110 members in both the civil and military
fields. It also added a valuable extension
into safety at sea and satellite technology,
the association claimed.
As for COFRENA, it had 54 members
having a joint turnover of Eur1.9 bill and
directly employing 28,000 persons. The
promotion of research and development
plus marine trade is high on COFRENA's
agenda. The association also promoted
itself as the marine gateway for non-
French companies wishing to do business
in France.
There is the possibility of future mergers
with the shipbuilding association and
taking in both the offshore and the
leisure/yacht sectors.
There are also many
clusters and other organisations
in France, including
the marine cluster Pole
Mer PACA (Provence,
Alpes, Cote d'Azur). This
cluster has joined forces
with Brittany to give both
the option of organising
clusters together having an
international outlook. In
the two regions, there are
700 companies operating
in the marine sector, while
in PACA there are 117
industrial concerns and
SME/SMIs. The other
organisations include Institut National de
Plongee Professionnelle, which certificates
professional divers, including those
involved in marine safety and hull cleaning/maintenance.
JLMD is continuing to develop and
market its fast oil recovery (FOR) systems.
The soon to be quoted company
recently won an order to install a small
Gilles Longueve, sales and
marketing manager JLMD
tonnage version of the system in a 310
dwt coastal tanker, which is currently
under construction at Alstom Leroux
Naval for trading around the islands off
the French west coast.
Bunker fuel tanks are also being targeted
in addition to cargo tanks. Other types
of vessels are being considered for fitting
with a FOR system. For example, the
bunker tanks on CMA CGM's fleet of large
containerships are being evaluated.
To develop a quick connection tool
installed on deck, JLMD has joined together
with salvor Smit to design the tool,
which has been approved by both ABS and
BV. The connector is claimed to be easy to
maintain and only needs to be painted
about once or twice per year.
For a salvor, the advantage would be in
the preparation time it would take to
pump out a sunken vessel. For example,
preparation for the lifting of oil from the
Prestige took four months and for the Erika,
three and a half months. Normally a diver
can only reach 70 m in depth, so the use of
rovs becomes obligatory for any cargo or
bunker salvage deeper than 70 m.
Another partnership has been developed
with Danish concern Pres-Vac. The
company has decided to get into leak prevention
and oil recovery. Submerged P/V
valves, mandatory safety devices that prevent
over-pressure or a vacuum inside
tanks, may leak. Pres-Vac has developed a
self-closing valve, which contains the oil
inside the intact tank to enable better use
of oil recovery systems. This was developed
in collaboration with JLMD. A double
deck tanker FOR version is also being
worked on.
JLMD is now recognised by the Bureau
Green Award. Any vessels fitted with a
FOR system will benefit from the Awards
discounted services, such as port costs.
Insurers and P&I clubs are also looking to
grant special conditions to those owners
fitting such as system. Flag states are also
beginning to sit up and take notice,
including the Luxembourg flag, which
gives appropriate terms to motivate and
reward vessels equipped
with the system.
JLMD sells a licence to fit
the equipment to shipowners
and needs at least one
licence per month to break
even, sales and marketing
manager Gilles Longueve
told TankerOperator. At
present six vessels have
been fitted with a FOR system,
not including the small
newbuilding. Longueve
also confimed that the company
is to be floated on the
Paris Bourse as this issue
went to press.
Leading sensor designer
and manufacturer Controle Mesure
Regulation (CMR) is to supply TCM temperature
sensors for secondary barriers
and double hulls of the five 147,200 cu m
LNGCs currently being built at Hudong
for Chinese operators. Sensors have also
been fitted on board the Gaz de France
LNGCs building at St Nazaire.
Developed last year, these sensors have
been designed to monitor gas leaks in the
secondary barrier and double hull spaces
of the LNGCs' containment tanks. A special
version can also be manufactured for
extreme conditions with a mineral insulated
cable, which allows for the use of these
sensors in immersed locations. One LNGC
requires around 150 sensors for its four
large containment tanks.
CMR has been developing tailor made
sensors for the cabling and control systems
on gas and diesel engines. Most of
the sensors are sold to the engine manufacturers
who need one-off systems.
However, off-the-shelf systems are also
available.
Chinese factory
The sensors are manufactured in Tunis
and CMR has outlets in Newcastle,
Singapore, Pittsburg, Germany and
Busan. A new factory will be opened at
Shenzhen this year to serve the fast growing
Chinese market.
Operations director Patrice Flot
explained that due to the increase in electronically
controlled engines, there is
more cabling involved, which require
temperature sensors. The electronics side
of the business is expanding as more and
more shipboard functions are being operated
electronically. He also said that the
TANKER
Operator
company is looking to develop speed sensors
to go with the temperature and pressure
sensors.
More than 3,000 engines per year are
fitted with CMR products. These are for
operation in all sectors of industry, including
the marine side.
Flot said that he was looking for more
partnerships. CMR recently won an order
from Petrobras to fit sensors on board
tankers. However, due to strict Brazilian
import laws, the equipment would have to
be made in Brazil.
Today, there is increasing communication
between various systems on board
ship. To cater for this, CMR will purchase
an interface to facilitate communications
between the various systems.
Another company trying to break into
the commercial marine sector is i2e. This
company develops and produces hull stress
and cargo monitoring systems, electromagnetic
speed logs, lens sensors for steel or
aluminium hulls, electromagnetic compasses
and other equipment for naval use.
I2e already works closely with SAM
Electronics and Radio Holland. For example,
the company will be exhibiting at
Posidonia under the guise of Radio
Holland Greece. Export sales manager
Xavier Deval said he was keen to develop
the tanker and LNGC market and was
looking to break into the commercial sector,
apart from fast craft some of which
have been fitted with i2e systems.
TankerOperator May/June 2006 page 43